BSA Welcomes New Head of School, Barbara McKeon

August 1, 2013

Barbara McKeon, BSA's new Head of School, will start August 5th.

Broome Street Academy Charter High School (BSA) has appointed Barbara McKeon to be its new Head of School. Ms. McKeon previously served as Chief Academic Officer for MetSchools, an education management company based in New York City that serves 1,500 children annually through its family of schools. Ms. McKeon will assume her new role beginning August 5, 2013.

“BSA is just about to welcome its third class since opening in 2011, and we’re very excited to have Barbara join us at this particular moment,” stated Julie Shapiro, Executive Director of The Door, a leading youth development organization that launched BSA in 2011. “I’m looking forward to Barbara’s extensive expertise and creative approach as we continue the strong partnership between the school and The Door – a unique arrangement designed to provide the most comprehensive support to kids who have struggled to find stability in life and success in school.”

Ms. McKeon comes to BSA with over 15 years of experience designing and implementing evidence-based practice in the field of education. An accomplished strategic planner, she successfully led two schools through the accreditation process. She also served as Director at the Aaron Academy, where she created the first middle and high school program in the MetSchools special education family of schools. She has also been Head of School at the Cooke Center for Learning and Development, and was a founding director of Inter-Disciplinary Education Associates, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing both clinical speech and language services to underserved populations and training to education and health professionals. Prior to working in education, Ms. McKeon worked in speech therapy, developing the first speech therapy department for a local Home Health Agency and creating NAP (newborn awareness program) providing speech and language awareness training for first time parents.

“My path to BSA has taken multiple turns along the way, but my goal has always been the same: to find smart, innovative ways to serve and strengthen the most vulnerable populations,” states Ms. McKeon. “That’s why I’m particularly excited to join BSA now, where this partnership with The Door means we can provide New York City’s most vulnerable youth with everything they need to find success on their way to graduation.”

Ms. McKeon graduated from Rutgers University with a dual degree in Anthropology and Communication Disorders, followed by a Masters in Communication Science and Disorders from the University of Vermont. She is currently pursuing a doctorate from Seton Hall University.